1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly, to comparator devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
A comparator is an electronic device that is used to compare the relative level, such as the voltage level or current level, of two signals, and to provide an indication at an output of the comparator of which signal has the greater level. Accordingly, the comparator can be used to indicate when the level of a signal of interest exceeds a predetermined reference level, thereby allowing regulation of the signal of interest. For example, a voltage regulator may control the conductivity of a transistor in order to maintain a supply voltage at a desired level based on the output of a comparator configured to compare the supply voltage to a reference voltage.
One example of a comparator, referred to as a latching comparator, includes a latch portion configured to latch a value based on the comparison of input signals. One or more control signals are employed to manipulate switches at the comparator to control when the comparator samples the signals at the input in order to perform a comparison, and when a value based on the comparison is latched at the comparator. However, the manipulation of the switches can introduce undesirable noise, referred to as kickback noise, at one or both inputs of the comparator. Kickback noise can limit the precision with which the comparator can compare the input signals.